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Illinois Basketball: Landers Nolley sets Illini official visit

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 27: Illinois Fighting Illinois fans cheer against the Michigan Wolverines during the game at Assembly Hall on January 27, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Michigan defeated Illinois 74-60. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 27: Illinois Fighting Illinois fans cheer against the Michigan Wolverines during the game at Assembly Hall on January 27, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Michigan defeated Illinois 74-60. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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In a surprise turn of events, the Illinois basketball team made the top five for a top 100 player in the class of 2018.

Landers Nolley announced he has set his five official visits and the Illini were included. The five programs were Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Georgia, UConn and Illinois. This is a very scattered list and one that I think Illinois could beat.

When I saw the news of Nolley naming his top five and the Illini were on there, I was extremely surprised. This is a name that hasn’t come up in the recruiting talks by all the ‘experts’ but is someone who could really help this Illinois program.

Nolley is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Langston Hughes High School in Fairburn, Georgia. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 96 player according to 247Sports and the No. 57 player according to Scout in the class of 2018. He is also the No. 4 player in the state of Georgia.

Illinois could use a player like Nolley to fill in the No. 4 spot on the team. The Illini aren’t extremely deep at this position and having a player with his size would be perfect. Right now, Leron Black is the only player filling in that role and in 2018 he will be a senior. That means Nolley will have a chance to start the following season.

In the Nike EYBL this season, Nolley played pretty well. He put up 13.4 points per game on 50-percent shooting from the field. He was also an incredibly efficient 50-percent from the three-point line as well. His free throw shooting was a little suspect – only 71.4-percent – but he can continue working on that.

I wouldn’t mind Nolley continuing to grow as well. He likes to slash and drive the ball, and without more girth to him, he might get banged up in the paint. This kid has a chance of being really good at the next level, though.

Illinois needs to nail their visit with Nolley. He is an important recruit and would be a valuable piece to a championship puzzle. According to Derek Piper of Scout, Nolley will be taking his official visit to Illinois next weekend, September 1. I believe this is his first visit.

Next: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

Nolley is a big recruit for Brad Underwood. This could be a potential game changer for the Illini program.

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